New mobile sports betting app Bookee is looking to shake things up in the UK sports wagering market by using Tinder and Uber-style functionality to offer users novel ways of placing bets. As with Tinder, a location-based courtship app that has transformed online dating, Bookee utilises swipe technology to present bettors with different wagering options, which they accept or decline by swiping left or right on their iPhone.

There is also a social betting aspect to the app, with bettors able to share wagers with other users, drawing comparisons between Bookee and app-based taxi-cab service Uber, through which rides and fares can be shared between different customers.

The app is targeting causal mobile sports bettors by simplifying the process through which bets can be identified and made. As well as suggested bets, users are presented with a variety of betting categories, such as the ‘Strike it Lucky’ option, which features long-odds bets, or wagers on specific matches. Upon selecting the bet type they are interested in, users receive a random series of bets and either accept or decline by swiping. A left swipe rejects a suggested bet, while swiping right accepts it.

The intuitive app also memorizes users’ preferences and selections, tailoring suggested bets accordingly. That makes the process of placing bets even more efficient for regular users.

Co-founders Adam Wilson and Adam Kalmanson, formerly of William Hill and 888 Holdings, were inspired by their disapproval of traditional sports wagering methods, which they deem out-dated and convoluted. Rather than asking users to scroll through extensive lists of sports, match-ups and betting options to place their wagers, Wilson and Kalmanson wanted to simplify the process. Thus, they wanted to provide sports betting customers with a sense of instant gratification, in line with modern technology trends.